Looking for CNC Mill Part I

[crankorgan]

DickeyBird,
At least you used Turbocad! I used to use a DOS
editor and a quickbasic program to see my plots. Things are
getting better all the time. I also got the idea to do hop and
skips in my gcode. This would leave tabs on the parts. The tabs
would keep the parts from shifting during cutting.

Cranky

[PanzyPoof]

jbourke
Go ahead and move this thread if ya want!
The Workshop!!! Should be a HOT Area
The rest of the Zoners will catch on.
Whow! Zoltar and Crankorgan both sides of the Pond same thread... be nice
Say Cranky Hope you're not Ticked with me posting some Pics of my Progress building the & 7th Sojourn. Won't be leaking any copy written materials. Just say NO!
Just glued & mounted the Trolley drive motor base.
Ya motors they were $5 each
The Channel Stock y/Z Frame I found is a little diff from what you specify, I see only the gib size will be affected! Do I see All?
Off to Build the Trolley so far it's been easy and the most $$ part's been the Channel Frame (4'@$9 per Foot)

[balsaman]

I have access to a 1/2-10 tap. This is ACME thread, which is very acurately cut, not rolled like threaded rod. I got it free, so I am going to use it. I will post some pics once I clear a spot on my workbech and start.

Eric

www.e-zflight.com

[DICKEYBIRD]

Originally posted by crankorgan
DickeyBird,
At least you used Turbocad! I used to use a DOS
editor and a quickbasic program to see my plots. OUCH, That musta' been painful!

Things are getting better all the time. I also got the idea to do hop and skips in my gcode. This would leave tabs on the parts. The tabs would keep the parts from shifting during cutting.

Hmmm, great idea; I've been using little scraps of 1/16" balsa ever so often to insert down into the cuts behind the bit as it progresses (along with my home-made vacuum table) I also stack 2 or 3 pieces of balsa, stuck together with little squares of 2 sided sticky tape (INSIDE the cut line of each part) so that I can make 2 or 3 of each part at a time for duplicate ribs and the like.

[crankorgan]

DickeyBird,
A friend of mine bought a service box kit. The box the
plane sits on when you start it. The box has the battery in it
along with a meter and gas pump. I helped him modify the box for his car. Well anyway! The kit was veveral sheets of thin plywood. The parts were watercut. The guy left the parts inside the sheets of plywood. I could see where the water was turned on and off. Rather than waste time knocking the parts out he left them inside the plywood shell. My friend had to cut them free! Very neat idea! I figured having the bit hop and skip will produce the same effect.


Cranky

[crankorgan]

PanzyProof,
You seem to be building a double trolley? Or two
machines? Or maybe you are going ahead and adding the bottom optional bearings! You confused me there for a second! Don't worry about posting pictures. I find for every sale it costs me, I get two more.
Cranky

[crankorgan]

Balsaman,
I do buy 1/4-20 threaded rod from a local tool suppler.
Under a loop it looks tighter than the store bought threaded rod. Comes with oil on it. It looks jet black. Costs $1.50 for six feet. When I use this with a block of 1/2" Delrin, I can feel no slop! Let
us know how you make out. What are you using for a nut?

Cranky

[balsaman]

Cranky,

I am not sure what I will use for a nut. I was going to use oilite bushing material, but now I may use polypropalene plastic, since you say it works well. I will let you know. For right now I am still gathering materials, as I need to finish my current project (airplane) to make some more room.

Eric

www.e-zflight.com

[planeman]

I’ve been following along on this thread about CNC routers for cutting out balsa parts. I’m not there yet but I will be soon. It is just that it takes me so long to make a model. I’ve been working on my first one for 37 years now and I’m about half finished.

First of all I needed to cut some pieces. Wanting to do it right, I went to Pennsylvania to dig some iron ore – they have some of the best – even though I had to quit my job, lost my family, and I still owe Motel 6 $2,487 for the room. Then I came back and built my own smelter and cast the iron and steel parts for the saw. Now that I had the castings, I had to scrounge around for a good used metal lathe and mill to machine it with. After a few years of assembling the necessary tools, I set to work building the saw. All was going fine until I came to the bearings. I was considering building my own ball bearings until some friends convinced me that maybe babbit bearings would be good enough. Then I realized I didn’t have any copper, tin and antimony. I grabbed the shovel and spent 6 years out West digging enough ores to make the bearings. Fortunately, I had my smelter and was able to have the bearings cast about 6 months after I got back. I don’t answer the door now as Holiday Inn is looking for some three grand I owe them. Anyway, I machined the bearings and set everything up for the electric motor. I still had some iron and copper ore left over so I started in on building the motor. The wire insulation threw me until I came across a plastics plant going out of business. It only set me back $ 200,000 and the insulation was really great. Finally I sharpened my saw and mounted it on the arbor. Then, hesitantly, I hit the switch and …the damn thing ran!

Now I sawed those parts out but I need to drill a hole. I’m out of iron ore, so It’s back to Pennsylvania.

When I finish this plane, I think I’ll give this CNC stuff a try. I wonder if it will speed my plane construction along any.

Sincerely,

Planeman

P.S. The other day someone showed me this new tool for cutting balsa. It’s called a razor blade. Think I’ts any good? Looks too simple to me.

[uscra112]

Planeman, you obviously agree with me that the destination is just an excuse for the trip.

I used to road-race motorcyles pretty seriously. That hobby cost me a lot of money and time, but I had the incentive to teach myself more about engineering subjects in depth than I EVER learned in school. Has stood me in excellent stead in my current career, which I would doubtless not even HAVE if I hadn't learned all that stuff. So it worked out for me both ways - I had fun, and I advanced from a college dropout to a level where many real engineers are jealous.

N.B. Before I was old enough to own a motorcycle, I built planes - lots of them. I could tune a Baby Bee to a fever pitch at the age of 14, and I won a few HLG contests, too. That's where I learned to be an autodidact in the first place.

Keep it up, everybody.

[DICKEYBIRD]

Originally posted by uscra112
That's where I learned to be an autodidact in the first place.

You know, for years I yearned to be an autodidact until I realized I wasn't sure what an autodidact was. I then applied myself long and hard to the task and finally taught myself what one was. In other words, once upon a time I couldn't even spell autodidact; and now I are one!

[Zoltar]

>>>Whow! Zoltar and Crankorgan both sides of the Pond same thread... be nice<<<

Yes, Panzy, this could become a interesting thing.

---->>Different aproach on themachine design, same target.<<----

We will see.

Anyway if someone is interested going with me to the workshop for some actual work..... Cranky?

I think it should be a thread seperated in CNC construction , electronics and a separate thread for the software part on CNC.

It should cover : what are the general problems rising in building a CNC machine, the electronics and with the used software.

Anybody interested?

Chris

[PanzyPoof]

Pick a Good name!
Go for it I'm here to learn!!

[DICKEYBIRD]

Originally posted by Zoltar
[B
Anyway if someone is interested going with me to the workshop for some actual work..... Cranky?

[/b]

Here's some actual work I did....I helped a friend with a replacement wing for a Something Extra. He smushed his wings and wanted a new tapered wing with straight L.E. ala Edge 540 so I designed it in CompuFoil and TurboCAD and cut out the ribs for him . The ribs were cut to use the original alum. tube spar with lite ply doublers and since the wood he gave me was hard (HEAVY) I cut out lightening holes in the ribs as well. The thing actually flew great!

[DICKEYBIRD]

More actual work...."Twin Lizzie 2" nacelle/wing saddle blocks cut from 1 1/4" soft balsa block. I had to go to a 1/4" dia. router bit to get one that was long enough to allow the 1 1/4" depth of cut....note the little 1/4" blocks placed into the cut to prevent the part from coming loose and being damaged as the cut was finished. By the way, it did fit the wing perfectly!